Cycling
Learn how to pull away from the pack like a cycling pro
Don't get dropped by the bunch – sprint away. Read on for the best advice on when, where, and how to pull away from a cycling pack during a race from cyclocross champion Wout van Aert.
Cycling in a group conserves energy by reducing drag and allows cyclists to ride faster using less energy. However, at some point during a race, you'll need to pull away from the pack if you want to win.
Pro cyclist Wout van Aert has experience of pulling away during major cyclocross races, and more recently on the road, so he's the perfect person to tell you how, and when, to do it. Get up to speed with how to break away from the pack right here.
The benefits of riding in a bunch
You get paced by the others. Riding in the bunch or on the front can be the difference between freewheeling (not pedalling whilst sitting in the bunch) and riding all out (pedalling full gas at front of the bunch). The difference is huge.
Wout is an expert at sprinting away from rivals
© Kristof Kramon
When it's time to break away
During a cyclocross race, knowing when to break is just instinct. Sometimes you feel that you can just go a little faster, or you feel really strong on a particular part of the course, and you can break away without an extra effort. The hardest races to win are the races with competitors who have same strength as you. In those cases, you really need to pick a moment or specific point to attack, and play poker a little bit beforehand.
Perfect the art of pulling away
90 percent of the time breakaways are made when everyone's on the limit. When you feel exhausted after a hard climb, or hard part in the race, the pace very often drops down. These moments are perfect for an attack. Everyone's often looking at each other, and tired from the previous efforts. Of course, you'll be tired, too, but that's the mental game of being willing to just going a bit deeper than your competitors.
Cyclo-cross will give you massive gains and intense pain
© Kristof Ramon
How to stay away from the chasing pack
Try to find a pace that's achievable for the rest of the race. Here you can only count on self-knowledge and experience. It's hard to give a good definition of the perfect pace for every rider. Even with the help of power meters and individual power zones, it's never the same as during training. Circumstances and form of the day play a big roll in what pace you'll be able to maintain.
